I do not have a morning routine except for drinking a glass of water—hydration is key!—and splashing my face with cold water as soon as I wake up. My main night routine however, except for the kind of moisturizers, is also applicable in the mornings.

Long Story

Your truly is a lethargic, unemployed, socially awkward couch potato. ;b Except that I don’t spend all day watching TV but reading literature—which I’m told is a tad more acceptable, but not by much. Thus, my skincare routine is nil in the morning; all the action happens when the sun sets *wink, wink.* Also, at 21, I still aspire to vampirism, *fangs descend and maniacal laughter reverberates.*

Main Routine

1 Cleansing

Application and whatnot:

Dove Beauty Bar for Sensitive Skin

It’s fragrance-free and pH neutral! My work here is done.

I shower before bedtime and regularly use Dove. Cleansing is as straightforward and traditional as it gets: wet face, apply soap, rub-rub-rub, rinse, and pat dry—don’t scrub the towel roughly, please. Thank you.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

At other times of the day on the odd chance that I needed to cleanse, or when I’m being plain lazy, there’s Cetaphil. It works better on dry than damp skin, hence my waterless application. Weird and icky at first but hey, it works! Pour a small amount of liquid on clean palms then gently massage on face in a circular motion. Pat away the excess with a clean towel.

** Tuut, tuut, tuut. Paraben warning. Cetaphil has parabens, chemicals linked to breast cancer that are used as preservative in many cosmetic products. I still occasionally try prods with parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate (irritant), their derivatives, and etc. But, to be too cautious is better than to be too careless. Or something. So my advice—that I can’t always follow :’(—is to minimize or stop patronizing these products altogether.

2 Toning

The interwebs say that toning isn’t really all that necessary. Nonetheless, I still have two main products on hand. It all comes down to personal choice. After all, the interwebs also told me that salt is sweet and rabbits are gods punished for too much…laziness. Fufufu. All’s cool though. As for yours truly, there can’t be too many products to try! By the way, who wants to see a picture of my pet bunny, Yuki Rew? No? *cries*

Frankly, I love Human Nature products in general. They’re lightly fragrant, organic and easy on the budget. Plus the sales staff is super friendly! I’ve been to three stores in three different major PH cities in three different islands (lol) and it’s the same bright and pleasant treatment. Kudos to their customer relations policy. They have an online shop too but I’ve never tried it.

Belo Essentials Skin Hydrating Whitening Toner

The scent is a tad too overpowering and it’s kinda sticky. That said, the thing is still alive in my regimen solely because of how soft and smooth my face feels post-application. I believe that it really is hydrating.

If you’re into whitening, note that although it’s labeled thus, the effect is most likely so minimal that it might as well be nonexistent.

For both products, squeeze a decent amount of toner on a cotton ball or pad and apply gently in a circular motion. Toning has its benefits but it isn’t as crucial as cleansing and moisturizing. So go ahead and skip it if you’re too tired or just plain lazy. We’re not a dictatorship here, y’know. Fufufu.

3 Moisturizing

Application and whatnot:

Human Nature Sunflower Beauty Oil

100% Cosmetic-grade sunflower oil. Before, I always wake up with a face you can virtually fry eggs on. When I started applying SBO every night, my face upon waking is more supple and isn’t as oily anymore.

Great for tons of other thingy-things too. Nails, hair, dry patches like knees and elbows…even for the occasional stuck zipper.

Apply a half-pump of oil on clean palms, rub ‘em together and pat on face, concentrating on dry areas. I have oily skin but I find that indents on the side of my nose get a teeny bit dry in colder weather, so pat-pat-pat.

Nivea Crème

I use this alternatingly with SBO. It packs a huge moisturizing punch but I’ve applied it too thickly one too many times. The sticky-feeling is barf-worthy, I tell you. I’m not a fan of the smell too.

A tiny amount of Nivea Crème goes a long way. (1) Use the index and middle finger to swipe some product, (2) dot-dot-dot on cheeks, nose, chin and forehead, (3) then spread-galore. Pay attention to under eye skin too. I use the ring finger and dot-dot-dot (no rubbing!) a miniscule amount ‘til the opaque white of the cream is no more.

If I applied too much, I just splash my face with cold water. The overwhelming urge to wipe the thing off, burn the can and swear not to lay eyes nor finger on it ever again, will disappear…until the next time I apply it too much, that is.

If you’ve got no problem with stickiness, try petroleum jelly. While not moisturizing, it is an excellent moisture sealant and I’ve heard that it’s the beauty secret of some star or other. One time, I was so bored and a tub was sitting in front of me. I use it mostly for scrapes and wounds, which I get a lot. Poor me. This time, I put some on my face, stared at the mirror for about 2.05 seconds and ran to the bathroom to wash it off. *gag*

Other wodeedoos:

Sun Protection
Even inside the safety (and peace and coolness and darkness) of our homes, UV protection is still paramount. King Sun, I love thee but I also want to stay young and healthy. I mean no disrespect. Bow.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence is chemical, however. I would love a physical sunscreen that’s light, unscented, doesn’t leave a white cast, does not break me out and won’t bankrupt my broke a**. But if we have everything we want, there would not be a need for scientists and inventors anymore, so let’s leave them with their employment, shall we? XD

To have enough sun protection, apply a shot glass of sun screen all over the body, approximately 1 teaspoon for every part—per arm, thigh, the face, calves and feet, etc. Eeek, I sound like a human butcher. And oh, ideally, reapply every 2-4 hours. *wink, wink*

If you find that 1 teaspoon is too much, I suggest putting a layer first, letting it dry, then applying another.

Acne TreatmentI get pimples quite often, more when I’m a week away from my period. They’re not hideously numerous but two or three is still not zero. Grrrr! To all you girls (and boys) with clear, smooth, acne-free skin. RAWR! Congratulations in your good fortune a.k.a. genes. Fufufu.

Human Nature Acne Defense Solution Gel

It works! I apply some on as soon as I see one and the next day, the zit is dry and on its way to healing. It rarely leaves scars or discoloration too!

Dab-not-rub, they said. But I find that if I just dab the stuff, too much product covers the pimple and it’s more inflamed the next day! It also leaves dark spots. Later on, I learned that swiping an oh-so-small amount—just enough for a theeny-thin layer—does the trick.

I wish they’d changed the packaging, though. The way the bottle opening protrudes from the cover just screams unhygienic to me.

Exfoliation

Human Nature Detoxifying Mask + Scrub

Is it just me or is there too much HN in here? Sorry, went on a spree not too long ago.

Two in one! I love 2-in-1s! The product is colored a purple-gray with tiny brown beads. It looks so much like fruity ice cream and smells like one too. Yum.

Some put it on overnight but I’ve never tried that.

In the shower, (1) I cleanse my face, (2) gunk a thick layer of the stuff evenly, (3) then leave it be to clean the rest of my bod. (4)Afterwards, I go back to my face and rub gently. Gently is the name of the game, baby. Believe me, I’ve made the mistake of scrubbing too hard multiple times and the result is stuff for nightmares of nightmare creatures. (5) Rinse, (6) and moisturize. A lot. More than usual, at least.

I exfoliate once a week or whenever I feel like it. It’s advisable to do it twice.

PSS: This routine is revolving. They’re not set on stone but these are what currently works among the (prolly) hundreds I’ve tried. I usually like to try new stuff and mix & match. This unskin-friendly habit started way back in college but what do I do, I can’t staahp! Haalp!

Extra Skincare points that we may already know (and possibly still do not follow because life gets in the way) but is always fine to reinforce so yeah

Moisturize. HYDRATE!!

Sun protection

Healthy diet rich in colorful fruits and veggies

Less is more.

Fingers on face is a no-no unless applying.

Exfoliate a couple times per week.

Sleep early and sleep well.

Wash with water no more than twice a day with lukewarm or cool water.

Thank you! Ciao!

4 Comments

Jul21

Jessica

Wow this was very interesting to read! You seem to really know your stuff, I might just buy that sunflower oil 😮 but thanks about the info about parabens, I didn’t even know what they were till now. Definitely will be on the look out for them when buying my beauty products! Anyways thanks for sharing

I am going through most of the posts you’ve published about the face and body care products. I haven’t been able to read all of them in detail yet but I like very much the stuff you’ve published about Forest Essentials products. I don’t think that they are available where I live but I’ve really fallen in love with them. Thank you Raff.